Lucky Cat Podcast & Playlist Series 5 Ep 8 (5th March 2011)

Last Saturday's episode of Lucky Cat my interview with Clive Chin (see previous post for more info).

Playlist:

• The Big Beat - Fats Domino
  
• Don't Stay Out Late - Lord Creator
  
• You Can't Fool Me Again - Peter Tosh & The Wailers
  
• Sugar Sugar - Bob Marley & The Wailers
  
• Java - Augustus Pablo
  
• Harvest in the East - Tommy McCook
  
• One Day You'll Know - Cha Cha & Ranking Joe
  
• Woman of the Ghetto - Hortense Ellis
  

More Linkage:
Reggae Vibes Interview with Clive Chin
Places to Buy Represses of Randy's and Impact! label 7"s:
Dub Vendor
Sounds of the Universe (Soul Jazz)
Juno

Comments? Please email me: luckycatzoe at gmail.com

Clive Chin interview on this week's Lucky Cat Radio Show

This coming Saturday 5th March I will air my interview with the legendary Chinese Jamaican Reggae producer Mr Clive Chin.

Clive is the son of Vincent Chin (whose Chinese father moved from mainland China to the West Indies in the 1920s). Vincent Chin opened the the music store and then recording studio Randy's in Kingston Jamaica way back in 1957. Artists to record on the Randy's label included Alton Ellis, John Holt and Lord Creator.

Clive Chin began working at the store and studio aged 15 and in the1970s began to produce tracks of his own, starting up the Impact! record label. His first big record as a producer was 'Java', which he recorded with his school friend Horace Swaby (aka Augustus Pablo, the melodica playing dub legend!).

Clive took a break from music production when he left Jamaica in 1978. He moved to New York and had a Jamaican restaurant there for ten years or so. Now he is very much back in the music business and manages the
Randy's back catalogue along with Impact! and some other selected labels. And what a catalogue of music, in 2007 Randy's celebrated 50 years and brought out the box set 2 CD anthology with documentary DVD.

Recently Clive has been tracing his Chinese roots; touring China and collaborating with Chinese singers (see www.myspace.com/aboverockrecords).

In an interview recorded last year I talk with Clive about his Chinese Jamaican roots and the influence of Chinese music in Reggae and his life in the music business.

This will be broadcast on Saturday 5th March at 3.30pm (UK) on 104.4FM in London and online anywhere via www.resonancefm.com.

Clive Chin in Hong Kong October 2010

Chinese Jamaican Reggae producer Clive Chin (Randy's Records, 17 North Parade) is back touring China this Autumn. The tour begins in Hong Kong, 7th October:

New Release on Randys Label - Chinese Reggae!

The brand new limited edition 10" vinyl of Shanghai singer Cha Cha and Jamaican DJ Ranking Joe is out now! The track One Day You'll Know is a combination duet with Cha Cha singing in Mandarin and Ranking Joe toasting in English over a Rico Rodgriguez rhythm. Produced by Mr Clive Chin (Randys, Impact!), who recorded Cha Cha whilst in China on tour last year.

SIDE A
1. One Day You’ll Know- Cha Cha & Ranking Joe
2. One Day You’ll Know Dub – Rico & The Alpha Boys

SIDE B
1. One Day You’ll Know – Cha Cha
2. Rico Special (Reloaded) – Rico & The Alpha Boys

Available at Dub Vendor Records. Only 500 pressed, this is a real collector's item that I heartily recommend you invest in!
The tune is perfect for summer and has a really nice vibe to it, plus you get the original rhythm track instrumental too. I am a big fan of Cha Cha's (see also her tunes on the Jahtari label and upcoming Adrian Sherwood LP Dub No Frontiers) and am pleased that her singing is equally good as her toasting/rapping.

Clive Chin

Last week I had the honour and the privilege of interviewing the legendary Chinese Jamaican Reggae producer Mr Clive Chin.

Clive is the son of Vincent Chin (whose Chinese father moved from mainland China to the West Indies in the 1920s). Vincent Chin opened the the music store and then recording studio Randy's in Kingston Jamaica way back in 1957. Artists to record on the Randy's label included Alton Ellis, John Holt and Lord Creator.

Clive Chin began working at the store and studio aged 15 and in the 1970s began to produce tracks of his own, starting up the Impact! record label. His first big record as a producer was with his school friend Augustus Pablo (aka Horace Swaby, the melodica playing dub legend!)- Java.

I talked with Clive about the influence of Chinese music in Reggae and he mentioned some tracks he produced with an Eastern flavour. One of which is this superb Tommy McCook number Harvest in the East which was the instrumental B side to Dennis Brown's The Cheater:


This track can be found on the compilation LP Impact! .

Clive took a break from music production when he left Jamaica in 1978. He moved to New York and had a Jamaican restaurant there for ten years or so. Now he is very much back in the music business and manages the Randy's back catalogue along with Impact! and some other selected labels. And what a catalogue of music, in 2007 Randy's celebrated 50 years and brought out the box set 2 CD anthology with documentary DVD:



I talked at length with Clive about his Chinese Jamaican roots, other notable Chinese Jamaicans in the music business and his historical knowledge of Jamaican music. I have recorded the interview for a future radio project which I hope to tell you about very soon.

In the meantime check out Clive Chin's Myspace page and listen to the FRESH NEW CHINESE REGGAE TUNE FEAT SHANGHAI's CHA CHA!!!! As you can tell I am very excited about this, Clive is pressing 500 10" vinyl copies of this tune which is a combination track with Cha Cha (singing in Mandarin) and veteran DJ Rankin Joe. When the discs are ready I will be sure to let you all know where you can get you hands on them (I'm first in the queue though, obviously!).

Clive Chin Tours China

Reggae producer (Impact record label), collector and DJ Clive Chin (son of Vincent 'Randy' Chin (RIP) who was a Chinese Jamaican Reggae pioneer and Patricia Chin who is now the boss of VP Records) is heading out to China this Autumn with his killer diller Reggae selection. Clive will be in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai in November.
Check the myspace page for more info:
http://www.myspace.com/aboverockrecords

Byron Lee Obituary

David Katz's obituary of Byron Lee was published in The Guardian last Friday.
Read it here.

Byron Lee Tribute Show - Play Podcast

19th November - Byron Lee Tribute - Playlist

• Dumplins - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Kingston Calypso - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Jamaica Ska - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Watermelon Man Ska - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Frankenstein Ska - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Rocksteady - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Maria - Mighty Sparrow & Byron Lee
  
• She's Royal - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
  
• Sweets for My Sweet - The Carib Beats
  
• Sugar Face - Unknown Chinese Singer
  

Chinese Jamaican Reggae part 2 now online as podcast

Click here to get your own player.

Chinese Reggae Playlists

Friday 10th Feb - the 50s & 60s

• Kingston Thirteen - Bells Group (early Blue Beat 45 the kind of tune that Tom the Great Sebastian aka Thomas Wong would have played on his soundsystem, which was one of the first in Jamaica in the 1950s)
  
• Hot Reggae - Byron Lee & the Dragonnaires
  
• Rocksteady - Byron Lee
  
• Chinatown - The Skatalites. Produced by Justin Yap, Top Deck Records. Available on the recently re-issued Ska Boo Da Ba double LP. Highly recommended! Get it on vinyl from HMV or from Amazon on CD
  
• China Clipper - The Skatalites
  
• Forward March - Derrick Morgan (Leslie Kong prouction celebrating Jamaican Independence in 1962)
  
• Judge Not - Robert Marley (Marley's first tune was cut for Kong's Beverleys label!)
  
• Pee Pee Cluck Cluck - Toots and the Maytals (from the LP From the Roots)
  
• She Does it to Me Right - Jimmi Cliff (B Side to Vietnam, heralded as the best protest song ever by Bob Dylan. Another acheivement for Beverleys)
  
• Look Before you Leap - Derrick and Patsy
  

Friday 17th Feb - late 60's, 70's

• Blackhead Chinaman - Prince Buster (Buster taunts Derrick Morgan and insinuates that the Chinese are taking over the record business in JA)
  
• Blazing Fire - Derrick Morgan (produed by Leslie Kong). The answer record which features Derrick cussing in Cantonese.
  
• East of the River Nile - Augustus Pablo (produced by Herman Chin Loy cousin of Leslie Kong and founder of Aquarius Record Label)
  
• Lost Penny - Toots and The Maytals (from the LP Skatalites and friends at Randys). Vincent 'Randy' Chin started Randy;s Records shop in JA which later became Randys record label when they built a recording studio above the shop. Vincent's son Clive entered into the business aged just 15.
  
• Mission Impossible - Randy's Allstars (Clive Chin's Impact! label)
  
• Jackie's Theme - Jackie Mittoo & Randy's Allstars (Impact!)
  
• Ghetto Guns Randy's All Stars (produced by Clive Chin on Impact! Record Label)
  
• Sugar Sugar - Bob Marley (Impact!)
  
• Lover's Mood - Augustus Pablo (produced by Leonard 'Santic' Chin - no relation to Clive)
  
• I Man Time - I Roy (prod Jo Jo Hookim)
  
• Here I am Baby - Al Brown (prod Geoffrey Chung)
  
• It's a Pity - Tanya Stephens (published by Chin family owned VP Records)
  

Chinese Contribution to Reggae Music

Today's Lucky Cat show celebrates the Chinese Contribution to Reggae Music. 1 - 2pm Resonance 104.4FM www.resonancefm.com
Today's show will discuss Tom the Great Sebastian, Leslie Kong, Justin Yap and Byron Lee.
Presented by myself Zoe Baxter and guest co-host Jak Ripley.
See Danwei for an interesting article on Chinese Jamaican Reggae Pioneers: http://www.danwei.org/archives/000657.html
Jak and I are DJing tonight in Camberwell - see www.messy.org.uk for details
Join the Luck Cat mailing list by emailing djmymelody@yahoo.com